Torromeo, a sand, gravel, and stone mining and ready-mix concrete plant located in Kingston, N.H., will pay nearly $1 million in penalties for allegedly filling nearly 5 ha (13 ac) of wetlands and discharging stormwater pollution to the Little River. According to New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney, the alleged violation may be the largest […]

This fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will release the National Stormwater Calculator. It is a tool designed to help city planners, developers, and property owners assess the runoff-reduction benefits of green infrastructure on specific sites. Taking into account local soil conditions, land cover, and historical rainfall records, the calculator will determine the annual amount […]

On April 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new grant guidelines for nonpoint source management programs that apply to fiscal year 2014 grants and beyond. The new guidelines, which replace ones created in 2004, put greater importance on watershed-scale activities and accountability measures. The guidelines also target the highest-priority activities and impaired waters. […]

On April 11, American Rivers and Green for All announced a report on operations and maintenance of green infrastructure facilities. The report highlights maintenance costs for various types of green infrastructure. In addition, it identifies barriers to green infrastructure maintenance but also highlights success stories and provides recommendations for overcoming such barriers. Limited training and […]

American Rivers recently released a list of the top 10 most endangered rivers in the U.S. At the top of the list was the Colorado River, which supports more than 36 million people and sustains a variety of uses, from farming to recreation to habitat for endangered wildlife. Due to drought and increasing demand, the […]

On April 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the agency’s first-ever Campus RainWorks Challenge — an innovative green infrastructure design competition for students. More than 200 student teams participated, representing 42 states. Entries were reviewed by more than 30 expert judges from EPA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the […]

On March 14, the Royal Bank of Canada released a study on Canadian water attitudes. In Canada, aging infrastructure, increasing impervious surfaces, and more extreme weather events are making stormwater runoff an increasing problem. However, while 90% of Canadians express concern about extreme weather events in their communities, few are aware of the consequences of […]

Heavy rains can compromise public safety at the beach. However, a new dune infiltration system developed by North Carolina State University researchers can reduce bacteria in stormwater runoff up to 96%. North Carolina State researchers published a study on dune infiltration systems in the March 2013 issue of Ecological Engineering. In the 3-year study at […]

On April 3, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton announced that the state’s stormwater manual is now available in Wikipedia format. The previous manual was a cumbersome 850 pages, but the new Web-based format is easily searchable, mobile accessible, and can be rapidly updated. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) stormwater program officials expect the manual’s size to […]

On March 26, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft assessment of U.S. rivers and streams, which is based on survey data from 2008–2009. According to the report, more than half — 55% — of the nation’s rivers and streams suffer from nutrient impairments and poor habitat, making them unfit for healthy populations […]

Storm Events

WEFTEC®, the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, is the largest conference of its kind in North America and offers water quality professionals from around the world with the best water quality education[...]